RonParrs.com: Notes from My Desk...

That Which is Eternal is Important

Thankfully I'm home writing... it's been a long while since I sat down to think and to ponder and to write.

Those of you who know me well, know that I'm a kind of melancholy guy. Oh yes, I may appear to be quite jovial and almost happy go lucky, but as my Mexican sisters would say, "Ron, eres tan serio..." (I think you can figure out the translation). I guess I am. I'll provide some further details about those Mexican sisters (and brothers too) later on so you'll understand the entire context - after all, context is everything. I like to think and ponder many things; maybe sometimes too many things!

As another year draws to a close and we prepare to celebrate Christmas and New Years, this is a good time to sit down, get quiet (maybe even alone) and reflect on the past 12 months, perhaps longer.

Christmas evokes that type of solitude and reflection. For thousands of years God promised a Messiah that would not only save men and women from their sins, but in doing so that act of salvation would restore a broken relationship between Creator and creature. Although once created perfect and in the image and likeness of God, Adam and Eve willfully sinned plunging the world and every man and woman who would come after them into a fractured and hurting world. On our own power, we would try to fix the mess and in doing so, the mess would be become messier. None of us can truly restore ourselves and everything attached to us to its original state without outside intervention.

Judgement or Mother Nature?

Today, our nation is besieged literally coast to coast ... wildfires, flooding, severe storms, economic chaos in certain states and cities.

Is this the beginning of God's judgment on this nation; on these United State? I don't know.

Many of us (because we are Bible believing Christians) have been mocked and criticized as we have prayed and cried out to God for grace and mercy.What I do know is that our God - the God of Bible - is holy, just, and merciful. He is always gracious and loving. Always. Please keep in mind that He is also the Supreme Judge of the nations. In His grace, He is long-suffering meaning that He has much patience in waiting for His creation to turn to Him in humility and repentance. He is a God of many, many chances... and yet He (in His justice) has a limit in allowing a people (individually and corporately) to get away with sin.

The God of the Bible guarantees forgiveness if we seek it, however - and listen and understand carefully - He often doesn't free us of or from the consequences of our sin. That should be a sobering truth.

The Grace of Adversity

Whoever likes adversity, please raise your hand.

No takers? I thought so.

Let's face it no one in their right mind likes adversity. Each of us does want smooth sailing and 100% cooperative relationships. But the fact remains that we human beings live in an imperfect and fallen world (although that certainly wasn't the case in the beginning), with imperfect and fallen people. Not only are people the problem, but often times it's Nature in the forms of bad weather, earthquakes, pestilence, etc. We are oftentimes surrounded by and in adversity.

And then in our desire to overcome, we fight it. Sometimes we win, sometimes we don't. Adversity (in whatever its form) will remain.

I personally don't like adversity. Not only does adversity suck, but it also sucks the life out of me. Sleep is lost. Confidence is lost. Potential good relationships are lost. Sometimes even health and wealth are lost. Over the last five years, I have been pounded by wave after wave of adversity; business shortfalls, teen issues with my children, loss of property, even severe health. And yet, here I am standing. A little battered. A little bruised. But standing none the less.

When Things Just Don't Seem Right

How do you share all of the good that God is doing in your life?

Unfortunately, many of us believers - or better yet, FOLLOWERS (even the devil, Satan, and his demons believe in Jesus) - struggle with talking openly about the power of a changed life and living in Christ.

So that begs this question: am I a believer or a follower of Jesus Christ? A believer is not necessarily a follower, but a follower is a believer. Jesus Himself warned against denying Who He is. This is how Jesus put it: “I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever disowns me before others will be disowned before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven." Luke 12:9.

As a follower, we should be sharing all of what our Savior has done in our lives. For me it is much, even though I am traversing a very dark time in my life. Jesus leads and carries me through. Some days are harder than others, yet His Grace finds me and carries me.

Galatians: Going Beyond Legalism

Paul's Epistle to the Galatian church is hard hitting!

I'll just let you be teased with that comment now and you'll see why I say that in quick time.

Over the years, this book has become one of my favorites. In my opinion, Galatians comes only second to Romans when laying out a solid foundation for our Faith in Christ and for Christianity itself.

You'll hear it said that Christianity is not about a religion, but it is about a relationship.

This is going to be an interesting study... Going through the book of Galatians is not a simple verse by verse study. As you read it through, you'll find that Paul goes back and forth and criss-crosses many tenets of the Faith as he speaks to the Galatian churches of the first century.

I'm going to leave my remarks there and encourage you to get into the study.

Please read this epistle all the way through. It shouldn't take much more than about 30 minutes total. Just read it - don't think about it. Don't "study" it. Just read it through - a couple of times. A few things will become very plain. You'll see...

Week 1 - Introduction. The who, what, when, why, where of the study. Background and cultural context is necessary in understanding and then applying any book of the Bible, but may be more so with Galatians - at least in the New Testament books. Discussion notes.

Week 2 - One Gospel. There is only ONE Gospel. That's it. This is the key to unlocking not only the Book of Galatians, but also understanding the bedrock of Christianity.

 

God's Love, Part 4: Unfinished Business

A couple of things are still bothering me and I feel the need to try and wrap them up with this whole love discussion.

And so we have some unfinished business to attend to.

To say that love is "complicated" is an understatement whether in God's terms and economy or according to ours. Love may be "a many splendid thing" but as we have already talked about in the preceeding parts, love is composed of many parts or attributes or facets. Love is made up of ideas and emotions and perhaps most importantly, actions. Love just doesn't sit out there waiting for something to happen, it is a verb; love is active.

If you want to describe love, the best analogy I can think of is the wind. You can't see the wind itself, but you can feel it (whether it is warm or cold), it touches you. The wind also causes other things like leaves or sail boats to move. In other words, you can see and feel the effects of the wind. Love is similar in that you can't directly see it, but you can experience its effects on yourself and other people.

Gay Marriage & a Conversation with My Daughter

In recent days and weeks we've seen a lot of activity on the "gay rights" front. And it's not going to go away any time soon - or quietly for that matter.

What I found most striking is the fact that the issue is being addressed by state legislatures at a time when local budgets are in crisis and the common taxpayer is under assault. Instead, of dealing head long with those issues that affect the entire population, liberal governors and legislators are taking time to address, and dare I say appease a very small but vocal minority.

The politics are bad enough, and frankly, I don't want to address this subject from that angle. I believe there is a more important angle. It is a matter of the heart and mind.

To be bluntly honest, this post is in response to a text conversation that I was having with my daughter a while back. I never fully answered her questions and in the meanwhile, some other thoughts have come to my mind.

The Attributes of Grace: Passion

Remember your parent or teacher saying something like this, "if you're not willing to do it well, don't do it at all."?

Why do we do what we do? What drives us to do what we do?

Contrary to popular belief, we - men and women - are not animals. We are human beings created in the image of God. We have a body, soul and spirit. We have the ability to know right from wrong. We have emotions. We have the ability to accumulate knowledge and dispense it. When a male and female come together sexually, another unique individual human - bearing God's image - is the outcome.

The question "why do what we do?" remains. If we were merely animals, we would act solely out of instinct. There is no love or mercy or justice. There is no Grace. There is nothing driving us to do anything. But the something that drives us to do everything is Passion.

Getting to Know God

Every man, woman and child is called to obedience to God. We are all called to love Him and to know Him better.

The only way we can do those things is through constant and consistent time spent alone with God through prayer and reading and studying His Word.

There are 2 ways we can come to know God. The first is through general revelation as we witness and experience the world and universe around us. The only problem with this method is that we don't and can't fully understand the sorry and sinful state that we, as human beings, live in.

The other way we come to know God is through direct revelation by His Word and through the Person of Jesus Christ. As He speaks to us through the pages of Scripture, our spirits are lead to Him. As we get to know God, He gradually peels away the layers of mystery and awe that surround Him.

Truth be known, we can never come to a full knowledge of God. He is infinite. We, as His creatures, are very finite. But in creating mankind, God created us in His Image. Nothing else in the universe was created in the image of God. Only mankind. And so we are specially called to know whose we are.

As I think about it, this is our "personal" Great Commission. God calls us to Holiness; "be Holy because I am Holy." Levitcus 11:44. That is our quest. As image-bearers of God, we are endowed with many of His attributes. One of those, believe it or not, is holiness. As we Christians become more Christ-like due to our submission to His will in our lives, we are sanctified and become holy.

I am on the same journey you are. God has called me to know Him. As I come to know Him better, He has put it on my heart to put some of these thoughts down in written form. God has called me to be an adult Sunday school or Bible teacher. And I love this task.

Knowing God is a Great Adventure! It is an adventure and a journey that will last your lifetime and into eternity. To get you in the mood, you may want to take a look at the music video below.

This page is dedicated to listing the past and current studies that God has called me to teach. The title, brief description and link to the main resource page of the study is listed for your convenience. The studies can be used for individual or group study.

It is my hope and prayer that you will not only get something out of these studies, but that you will be drawn to a deeper understanding of Who God is and what our relationship with Him is to be like. Although we will have an eternity to get to know Him, eternity for the believer begins now. Make the time to settle in with your Heavenly Father each day.

Let the Holy Spirit speak to you and teach you directly. Opening the Bible and studying His Words are vastly more important than any book written "about God" or any Bible study presented (even these), because they are His Words.

General Bible Study.

Living by the Book: Bible Study 101. An 8 week course in "how" to study the Bible. Based on Dr. Howard Hendricks classic book "Living by the Book". Click here for the How to Study the Bible Study.

The Divine Mentor: a Mentoring Study. We need to understand "why" we need to be in God's Word daily. Pastor Wayne Cordeiro puts forth the ideas of why personal Bible study and reading is so important to the life of the Christian. A 10 week study that's fun as well as interesting. We'll look at quite a bit of Scripture as well as the book "The Divine Mentor". Click here for the "Divine Mentor" Study.

The Bible in 90 Days. Here's a challenge for you and your church: gather as many people as possible to read the Bible from cover to cover (that's Genesis 1:1 all the way to Revelation 22:21) in 90 days. This is not a Bible "study". It is a simple reading of God's Word. This is life changing! Click here for the Bible in 90 Days Challenge.

Prayer 101. What better way to continue on your walk with God than to learn how to have a regular Prayer Life? Prayer sounds easy, but it's one aspect of the entire Christian Life that many of us struggle with. Sometimes it feels like our prayers seem to just bounce of the ceiling. We don't feel like they're getting anywhere. Using Daniel's prayer in Daniel Chapter 9, we'll look at the "hows" and "whys" of Prayer that help lead us to not only a regular Prayer life, but a vibrant and continual Prayer life.  Click here for the Prayer 101 Study.

Church History. Understanding how the Church came into being and the growth it has wrestled with over the past 2000 years. How did the Bible come to be assembled? How were the foundational and essential doctrines of our faith formed? Where is the Church headed in the 21st century? We better understand ourselves today when we understand our past. A 10 week study based upon the book "Perspectives from Church History" by James P. Eckman. Click here for the Church History Study.

Life Lessons: the Book of Philippians.The Bible's book of Joy is much more than that. Paul's Epistle to the Philippan church is a book of lesson on Christian living and interaction. Interaction with God as well as with one another (people) - Christians and non Christians. All that plus sound Christian doctrine. Click here for this series through Philippians.

Crashing the Chatterbox. A friend of mine gave me the book "Crash the Chatterbox" by Pastor Steven Furtick. The book arrived at just the right time (God's timing). Each one of us struggles with the Chatterbox of the mind that can hinder us in the calling that God would otherwise bring us. Click here for the series.

An Outline of the Book of Job. The ancient Book of Job is one of my favorite books of the Bible. It is a book rich and beautiful in prose and poetry, but most importantly, it is a book teeming with the truths of God's glory and grandeur and of His love for man. This outline can be used as a beginning guide for personal or group study. Definitely not a be-all, end-all, but it's a good start. Click here.

Going Beyond Legalism: the Book of Galatians. Paul's epistle to the Galatian church is foundational to understanding the Christian idea of relationship vs religion. Galatians is a hard-hitting book and Paul makes no bones about faith, freedom and godliness. Click here for this series through Galatians.

Christian Doctrine.

The 4 Essential Doctrines of the Christian Faith. What a Christian believes is paramount in his or her understanding of their personal relationship with God. A 10 week study looking at the doctrines of God (the Trinity), Jesus Christ, Salvation and Grace. Click here for the Essential Christian Doctrine Study.

The Attributes of Grace. It is by Grace that we are saved. It is by Grace that God "operates" His universe. A 10 week study of what I have considered the 7 basic attributes of Grace. Partially based upon Philip Yancey's book "What's so Amazing About Grace?" Click here for the Attributes of Grace Study.

The Trinity & the Passion: a Study of Easter. Without Easter and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, there can be no Christian faith. The focus of the Lenten season is upon Jesus and His Passion as He suffered and died for our sins. But what about the other members of the Holy Trinity? What was their role? We take a 6 week look at the God-head and their individual roles in the Passion. Click here for the "The Trinity & The Passion" Study.

The Attributes of Love. One of our pastors preached a sermon titled "Jesus is...Love". In wrapping up, he listed 7 attributes that "make up" Love. We discover how deep and rich God's love is compared to our understanding of this communicable attribute.

Christian Theology.

Acts & Apologetics: a Bible Study. A look at the Book of Acts and how it provides great models and insights as to how we Christians should carry out and explain our Faith. What we believe forms our worldview. We also need to understand the unbeliever's worldview as well. A 13 week study following everyone from Jesus to Peter and Paul and how they created their "apologia". Click here for the Acts and Apologetics Study.

The Attributes of God. What ever Bible study you participate in, God must be at the center of it. In each of the studies mentioned above,  some time is spent looking at the nature and attributes of God. Now it's time to spend real time studying the Person, nature and attributes of God. This is "Christian theism" and why understanding the Biblical teachings of Him are so important to our lives.

Who is the Holy Spirit? The Church is most active and vibrant when we, the redeemed, allow the Holy Spirit to be active and vibrant in our personal lives. Let's take a 10 week look at the Third Person of the Trinity.

Hidden Parables. Parables were an effective way that Jesus taught. In our modern world and lifestyle, we have perhaps lost some of the meaning because we don't understand the original context. Let's take a look at several of Jesus' parables that have been clothed in the "new skin" of 21st century western (American) culture. A video series in conjunction with ModernParables.com. Click here to begin.

A Chrisian Response to Culture. We live in a post-modern, post-Christian society that considers itself to be very sophisticated. Unfortunately, that so-called sophistication without God or a Christian influence is sending our society and culture careening into a decay of poverty and decay. Instead of retreating, God has called all Christians to engage the culture with His Word and Truths. Believe it or not, they are looking for the answers that we can provide. Click here to begin.

 

Music Video: Steven Curtis Chapman - "The Great Adventure"

  

 

The Attributes of Grace: Wisdom

"Above all else, seek out Wisdom."

We may not naturally link Wisdom with Grace, but when you think about it, it makes perfect sense. When God extends Grace to His creation, He always does it with much Wisdom. Proverbs 24:3 states, "By wisdom a house is built and through understanding it is established."

But what is Wisdom? Wisdom is the "ability to judge correctly and to follow the best course of action, based on knowledge and understanding" (Herbert Lockyer) consistent with reverence to God, our Creator, and respect for all persons, everywhere.

All of the previous Attributes of Grace (Unselfishness, Giving, Acceptance, Forgiveness, Cost), require Wisdom in order to be carried out.